


My heart is wild (And my bones are steam)

by Dividedpoet



Series: Throw me a lifeline ('Cause honey I got nothing to lose): The Ballad of Bone Dry - A Bucky/Darcy Coffee Shop AU [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychogenic Amnesia, retrograde post-traumatic amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3444953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dividedpoet/pseuds/Dividedpoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>She doesn't know why, and he has no intention of telling her. 'You reminded me of my mother baking cupcakes my junior year of high school and now every time I see you I feel more content than I have since my accident' is an odd reason to provide someone with an infinite amount of coffee.</i>
</p><p>  <i>Still, that feeling of contentment follows this girl every time she walks into his shop and free coffee he provides.</i></p><p>  <i>Darcy sighs and takes her drink, shoving the five in the tip jar as she'd begun doing about a month in. "One of these days you're gonna let me pay you what your time is worth."</i></p><p>  <i>Bucky snorts, "Just did."</i></p><p>  <i>He barely catches her departing words, "With an ass like that I'd say your time's worth a hell of a lot more." </i></p><p>  <i>His left hand refuses to listen to him after that; he spills half a bag of ground espresso beans and a gallon of milk by the time she comes back from the bathroom.</i></p><p>This is my coffee shop au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My heart is wild (And my bones are steam)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Bucky/Darcy coffee shop au. It is un-beta'd so if you have any comments or criticism please feel free to let me know. Also, I'm thinking about expanding this into a 'verse so please let me know if that's one you think you'd enjoy.
> 
> Titles comes from "Song for Zula" by Phosphorescent.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Edit: Now beta'd by the amazing [TeaAndTricks](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaAndTricks/pseuds/TeaAndTricks). Thank you! <3

Monday:

She walks into the coffee shop all awkward flourish, dark hair flying and long winter coat catching on the door. There’s a messenger bag slung across her body that's always weighed down with books. "Top of the Monday to you, coffee dude. How was your weekend?" She calls from the doorway, working on detaching her coat from the handle before heading for the counter.

"It was fine," Bucky says, or rather grunts, shrugging as he gets to work on an iced coffee.

Her name is Darcy. 

He knows her name is Darcy because he can't talk a single one of his employees into opening in the morning and she's been coming in for a few months, since the semester started. Almost every morning she sits in the corner booth for a couple of hours, books spread across the table. 

Bucky isn't entirely sure, but he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone more beautiful in his life.

She pulls her sunglasses off, righting her windblown hair. "Oh, thank you for asking James; I'll have the youzhe," Darcy says. The words are agitated but the amusement on her face tells a different story.

"Got it," he says, throwing a polite smile her way.

"One of these days I'm gonna get two entire sentences strung together out of you," Darcy says as she distractedly digs around in her purse.

"That'll be an interesting day.” He sets her drink on top of the five dollar bill she slides across the counter. "Don't worry about it." 

It's the same thing he tells her every time she tries to leave money for him. 

She doesn't know why, and he has no intention of telling her. 'You reminded me of my mother baking cupcakes my junior year of high school and now every time I see you I feel more content than I have since my accident' is an odd reason to provide someone with an infinite amount of coffee.

Still, that feeling of contentment follows this girl every time she walks into his shop and free coffee he provides.

Darcy sighs and takes her drink, shoving the five in the tip jar as she'd begun doing about a month in. "One of these days you're gonna let me pay you what your time is worth."

Bucky snorts, "Just did."

He barely catches her departing words, "With an ass like that I'd say your time's worth a hell of a lot more." 

His left hand refuses to listen to him after that; he spills half a bag of ground espresso beans and a gallon of milk by the time she comes back from the bathroom. Her return commences thirty minutes of stealthy staring on his part before the rush begins and he misses her departure in the crowd.

\---  
Tuesday:

"One of these mornings I'm gonna find Clint running the place," Steve says by way of greeting, briefcase in hand and winter coat thrown over his arm to reveal a nice three piece suit.

"Sorry, Rogers, he's afraid of the dark hours in the early morning," Bucky says, turning off the burner and plating some blueberry pancakes. "I know you're on your way to that fancy lawyerin' job, but you mind grabbing your own coffee?" Bucky asks as he steps around the counter to deliver the pancakes to a customer.

Steve chuckles, "Sure thing, Buck." He claims the counter behind the bar for his coat, suit jacket, and briefcase. He's just finished pouring his coffee when Darcy walks in. 

Steve's never met Darcy. Steve's heard about Darcy. Not from Bucky. Maybe he won't realize...

"Uh, did the boss man finally hire morning help?" Darcy asks, eyebrows furrowed.

Steve looks at her for a solid 5 seconds before hopes of him not realizing are dashed by his face splitting into an all-american smile. "Can't say he did. My friend owns this place, I just stopped in for a cup." He sticks his hand across the counter, "Steve."

Darcy takes it instantly. "Darcy. Nice to meet you," she says, big, Steve-induced 'I saw something pretty' smile on her face. "How long have you known James?"

Steve laughs, " _James_ and I grew up together."

Darcy raises her eyebrows, "Jesus, was your town in an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog?"

Bucky coughs and sets her coffee down with a thud. 

"Oh! Hello sunshine," Darcy shoves her customary five in the tip jar. "I was just meeting your lovely friend Steve here."

"Right." Bucky stares at her, "Flirt to the left of the register." The words are sharper than intended but Darcy takes them in stride.

"Steve?" She asks casually, eyes still on Bucky.

Steve furrows his eyebrows. "Yes, Darcy?"

"Is he jealous?" 

Bucky catches Steve's gaze and sighs. "Oh fuck you, Rogers." 

The giggle that follows is something Bucky knows will be ringing through his head for the unforeseeable future.

"You're too easy; bringing a little something tasty in and thinking I'll get distracted." It's a condolence that Steve's face goes bright red. Darcy picks up her coffee. "Eyes on the prize, my friend," she says before heading to her booth.

When Bucky looks at Steve his eyebrows are practically in his hairline, "Oh."

“Steve.”

“Oh!”

"Don't start, you pu-"

"Bruce didn't mention she'd been coming here almost every day for three months so she could hit on you," Steve interrupts quietly. 

Bucky closes his eyes and hopes Darcy is out of earshot. "It's not like that every time-"

"Oh come on, Buck. That was not a one off comment. That was pursuit."

"Please drop it." Bucky's words are firm, but Steve pushes.

"This is about the arm, right? You can't be afraid of the damn thing forever, at some point-"

"It's definitely not about the arm, pal," Bucky hisses as a customer steps in the door. Steve moves back, slipping on his jacket and coat before picking up his coffee and briefcase.

Once the order is placed and the patron has moved on, Steve says quietly, "You can't do anything about that, Buck."

"I know I can't which is why I'm asking you to drop it," Bucky says, eyes pleading. Quickly he drops his voice and adds. "Anyway, Stevie, you think this is the first grad student to bat their eyes at me?"

Steve's eyebrows go up, "First grad student that looks like her, yes." Bucky lets out what can only be described as a growl and Steve puts his hands up, "Alright, alright." He looks at the clock on the wall, "I have to get going, anyway." 

Bucky picks up a spatula and waves it at Steve, "Get!"

Steve smiles, "Thanks for the coffee."

Bucky rolls his eyes, "Anytime, Punk."

Darcy glances up from her laptop when the bell on the door jingles but otherwise doesn't react to Steve's departure. Bucky does his best to ignore the oddly warm feelings that gives him. The feelings intensify when her eyes shift to his. Before he knows it she's standing up and heading his way.

"What can you do for me in the breakfast department?" she asks as she approaches, eyes raking over the pastry case.

"Make a request," Bucky says, for once grateful his mouth moves faster than his mind.

She seems to think for a moment before grinning, "Brownies." Bucky snorts and Darcy sucks in a breath, "Hey, what's that about?"

He starts moving around the fairly basic kitchen area located in a nook behind his counter, turning on the stove and pulling things from the refrigerator. "Too much sugar," he adds, "No protein." 

"Dude, I love too much sugar and no protein. I practically live on it. Ask me how I made it through my undergraduate honors thesis class." She pauses and only when Bucky glances over at her with an arched eyebrow does she continue. "Thanks for asking; Dennys at three a.m. with research materials and a big ol' stack of chocolate chip pancakes. The term sugar crash means nothing to me."

Bucky snorts again, more quietly this time, as he cracks an egg into a pan and sticks two pieces of bread in the toaster. 

"Are you even listening to me? I need awful food to boost my spirits." She points to her table, "I am grading undergraduate papers for a political science class I TA and I am inches away from smashing my head through your window."

Instead of responding immediately Bucky spins around a few minutes later with a plate in hand containing a fried egg sandwich with cheese, "Please don't do that."

"Oh Jesus," Darcy says. She makes grabbing motions and Bucky tips his head forward so she can't see a smile through the curtain of his hair. Bucky sets the plate on the counter and slides it in Darcy's direction. "You're a god." Bucky rolls his eyes. "You are! My mom used to make these all the time," she said the last part quietly, her gaze shifting from fond joy to flirty curiosity in moments. "How do you read me so well, James?"

Bucky shrugs, noncommittal as ever, and walks away when Darcy tries to pay him.

\---  
Wednesday: 

It's dark when he opens the shop in the morning. So dark that Bucky almost misses the figure huddled in the doorway. When he gets close enough the figure is unmistakable; Darcy is standing there with books clutched to her chest and her messenger bag at her feet.

Bucky can't help himself, he quickens his pace as he approaches her. "Darcy? The fuck are you doing, it's twelve degrees out." He fumbles with the keys, suddenly unable to make his hand cooperate. "Jesus. Get inside, girl," he says once he's opened the door, snagging her bag off the ground before she can reach for it and motioning her inside. He follows quickly.

Darcy is talking before the door closes. "You're absolutely right, it's very cold out, it gets very cold." She's shivering now, "I don't know if that occurred to my landlord when he put in the heater because it definitely died once we hit the teens."

Bucky pauses in his mission to turn on the lights and heater, "It was fifteen degrees by six yesterday."

"Yes it was!" She's still shivering.

Bucky switches the heater on.

"I was bundled in all of my blankets. All of them. But I couldn't get warm! And then I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd log some hours on my thesis. But it was still way too cold. I remembered you open at five and...well, here I am."

Bucky holds a pile of throw blankets out to her, "It's four-thirty."

"Yes it is."

"Sit down. Lemme set up and I'll make you some coffee." Bucky sets her messenger bag down next to one of the overstuffed chairs he always sees her eying.

"Bless you. No really, bless you. Sure, lots of men would open their doors to me in the middle of the night. But that usually involves some removal of clothing and man is it too cold for that." She's babbling now, a steady stream as she settles into the warm plush chair she typically avoids. "Man oh man is this thing comfortable. This is exactly why I sit at that booth; too much comfortable."

By the time Bucky gets the majority of his prep done, including brewing a pot of coffee, Darcy has managed to fall asleep. Bucky takes this moment to center himself. Because he's barely said two words to her since he started setting up, which is fine considering how fast she fell asleep. But he needs to wake her up, it's time to open.

When he walks over he can't do it, he can't wake her up. She's fallen asleep in the chair with her feet propped on the coffee table and all the blankets tucked tightly around her. She looks relaxed and peaceful, not shivering anymore. He doesn't want to break that but...

After a moment's hesitation he scoops Darcy up, blankets and all, with a grunt. For a few seconds he thinks she'll wake, especially with the way the cold metal of his pinky finger is pressed against the skin of her side. Instead she just burrows against his chest. Ignoring his pounding heart Bucky walks to his office and deposits her on the sofa. It's a comfortable sofa. He's spent many a night on it.

Once she's down she simply rolls over and curls into a ball. Bucky takes another moment to breathe before he resolves to leave her there and open the shop.

Darcy comes stumbling out of his office wide-eyed and red as a beet three hours later. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she starts, coming up to the counter after the last person in line. "I didn't realize I was so tired and it was so warm and comfortable-"

"Not a big deal," Bucky cuts her off, sliding a hot black cup of coffee toward her along with a cheese danish. 

Darcy stares down at the coffee and danish like they're about to make a break for it. When she looks up Bucky hasn't moved. She shakes her head. "Really? I fell asleep in your coffee shop, you had to move me to your office - wow with the surprise muscles, btw - so as not to disturb the other patrons, and still you remember its danish day?"

Bucky fights a gulp. "You always get this on Wednesdays," he grunts, face not giving away an ounce of his suddenly racing heart and shaking hands.

Darcy looks back down at the danish before glancing at the wall clock. "Um, chance I could get it to go?" Without waiting for an answer she darts back into his office and comes out wearing her coat, messenger bag, and holding her books. "I have a thesis meeting." She pulls a ten dollar bill out of her coat pocket, shoves it in the tip jar, and Bucky almost involuntarily crushes the mug he'd originally had her coffee in.

He hands her the bagged danish and disposable coffee cup with fresh coffee. "Shoo."

Darcy grabs the offered items and hurries for the door. Once there she pauses and looks at him, opening her mouth like she's going to say something. She shakes her head after a second and leaves.

\----  
Thursday:

"What's wrong with signing up for online classes?"

Bucky sighs. "Tasha-"

"You already have the shop, it's not a crazy thought. You could restart and finish your business degree by correspondence ."

"Natasha-" 

"I know things got hard after the accident, but you're in a good place and I really think-"

"So help me God, woman, I will hang up this phone." Natasha's teeth click audibly and Bucky smiles.

"I just worry about you."

"I know. How's Bruce holding up?"

"He's doing better than last time. I mean, the treatments are difficult but after this round they should be able to declare full remission. He'll have to come back in 6 months for a check-up but hopefully..." Natasha trails off.

"That's fantastic news, Tash."

"I know." But Bruce has been through this before.

Bucky met Natasha when he was twenty-four. 

Well that wasn't entirely true. They had a class together freshman year, a fact he didn't remember when she found him in an alley outside of a liquor store five years later. Actually, there were a lot of things he didn't remember. However, he didn't think he'd ever forget this slip of a girl telling him Steve sent her, shoving him in the backseat of her car, and informing him if he threw up on her upholstery she would make him eat it.

There's a jostling on the other end of the phone and Bruce's unmistakable voice comes over the line, "Could you convince my wife to stop watching me while I sleep? That used to be my move."

Bucky met Bruce about half an hour after he met Natasha when she pushed him through the door to Bruce's apartment. Turned out Bruce was Steve's roommate and Steve had a knack for getting people to blindly follow him.

About a year ago, after a string of ridiculously aggressive mood swings, they confirmed Bruce had a recurrence of a tumor on his pituitary gland.

"'Fraid I can't do that, Doc. The girl does what she wants."

"Don't call me 'Doc', you have to finish residency to be a doctor."

"All in good time, Doc."

Suddenly Natasha's voice echoes over the line, "If he can finish his residency you can get a degree!"

Bucky rolls his eyes and hangs up the phone.

"How's our spider?" Clint asks, wiping down the vacated table tops in the nearly empty coffee shop.

From what Bucky understands Clint is some kind of ex-Army sharpshooter with pretty spectacular PTSD who'd come wandering through town one year after Bucky had accepted his fate and opened the shop with his settlement money. Four years later and Clint managed to move into Bucky's spare bedroom, showing no signs of leaving.

Bucky swipes a hand over his face. "She's Natasha..." 

Spider was the nickname Clint gave Natasha after he and Bucky locked themselves out of their apartment. She scaled a drainpipe to get them back in.

"Yeah, yeah." Clint is already distracted. One of the stragglers on that particular Thursday evening is a customer that's been in a handful of times. Bucky doesn't remember Phil Coulson, just like he doesn't remember Natasha, but he knows Phil is the fellow upperclassman that found him on the airfield after his accident. 

Bucky pours a cup of his house blend and adds two creams, "Hey, drooly," followed by a quick whistle when Clint doesn't respond. "Take this over. Tell him it's on the house."

Clint furrows his eyebrows but nods, "Sure thing, boss. But, you know, you're never gonna make any money if you keep giving away the coffee."

When Clint sets the cup down in front of Phil the other man looks at him curiously.

Clint shrugs, "It's on the house," he says, pointing back toward the counter. 

Bucky waves with his prosthetic and Phil smirks, "Didn't realize this was your place."

Bucky nods. "It's understandable; coffee shop owner is miles away from..." he pauses, suddenly at a loss.

Phil smiles, "Army Ranger. But I actually teach at the college now."

"How's that going?"

"I'm still not entirely convinced I have any idea what I'm doing," Phil says, eyes drifting to Clint who's gone back to wiping down tables.

"Even if you're not, you'll figure it out eventually." Bucky steps away from the bar. "Sorry. Gotta finish that inventory. Good to see you, Coulson." As he passes Clint on his way to the office he hisses, "I have a metal arm. If you fuck him on my counter, or vice versa, I will use it to rip your fucking head off."

Darcy hadn't come in that day. Which was fine. It was. Sometimes she didn't come in. And that was fine. 

Except Bucky stayed all day waiting for her. Not really. He was doing inventory. He'd already done inventory that month, but sure, okay.

Bucky settles into his desk chair and takes a deep breath.

"Do you know how hard it was to sneak in here?"

Bucky almost jumps out of his skin. Darcy is sitting in an armchair in the corner of his office, legs draped over one side.

He takes a second to collect himself, blinking coolly as he talks down his mad dashing heart. 

When he finally opens his mouth Darcy holds her hands up. "Wait! Wait! Look, okay," she swings herself into a sitting position. "I'm here because..." she hesitates before bowling on. "Because I make all of those comments and that's a thing I do, and sometimes they seem like they make you uncomfortable but you keep giving me coffee so I figure what the hell. Then, after yesterday morning..." She trails off and takes a deep breath, "The thing is you've started to pop into my head on a regular basis, and it's hard to get a read on you, and I like everyone to be apprised of situations. So here's the situation you need to be apprised of; months of your free beverages and brooding glances have my heart all a pitter. Which would be fine, except I honestly can't tell if you're feeling it and yesterday confused the hell out of me."

Bucky is stock still.

"And that's okay," she continues quickly. "That's okay because I don't think you're playing with me. I think you've got some other deal." And now Bucky's heartbeat has doubled in speed. "So here's my proposition - I'll keep coming in almost every day and doing my morning reading because you serve hella good iced coffee and you're two minutes from my morning lab; if you're interested we'll keep doing that adorable thing where you don't let me pay...but if you're not, how 'bout you ring me up next time."

With that she's up and moving toward the office door.

"Darcy," Bucky starts and she pauses to look back at him from the doorway. "My, um, other deal...it's a little more complicated than that."

Darcy doesn't falter, "Of course it is. This wouldn't be real life without a little complication. But I'm okay with that if you're okay with that." And she's gone before he can say anything else to her.

_____________

Friday:

At first glance Steve appears to be opening and closing cabinet doors in search of plates, but what he is actually doing is relentlessly riding Bucky's ass.

"She snuck into your office," Steve says.

Bucky sighs. "Don't do this again, man. I know what she did, trust m-"

"She snuck into your office to calmly tell you she likes you," Steve continues, pausing to cross his arms over his chest.

"To politely tell me she had become enamoured with the clearly damaged and brooding coffee guy," Bucky snaps, cracking eggs on the countertop and dropping them in the pan.

Steve rolls his eyes. "Yes, because she doesn't know you. I think that's her point, she has no idea what your personality is like. You won't talk to her."

"Steve, I'm not just going to ask out a regular customer. What if-"

"The girl's been coming in here for months, Buck." Steve snorts, eyes twinkling. "I have a hard time believing she couldn't have found better iced coffee."

Bucky snaps his mouth shut and turns to start a fresh pot. He'd offered to make Steve a free meal before he headed into work but now he's regretting his invitation. It's slow in the morning, one or two regulars in the small coffee shop. If it were a good ten years earlier Bucky would say the company wasn't worth this. Steve would tell him to shove it.

"Look, all I'm saying is I don't think it would bother her-"

The bell over the door jingles as the very same petite, busty brunette whom they are discussing walks in.

"Well if it isn't chiseled and handsome," Darcy says, stepping up to the counter with a smile, eyes on both men. She winks at Steve, "Oh, hey, Steve."

Steve barks out a laugh, "Hello Darcy." He finally leaves to locate those plates.

Bucky looks down at the coffee pot in his hand, hair falling forward to cover his face. "Usual?" He asks, doing his damndest to keep the tremor of anxiety out of his voice. He made his decision. He would stick to his decision. This could not happen. That was all. No room, no thought necessary. Shut up, Steve.

Darcy shifts, her own ill ease noticeable. "Yeah, _buddy_. Only got two hours of sleep last night," she says, fumbling with items on the counter while she waits for Bucky to ring her up. "I would have gone straight through but my words started to do that thing where they don't make sense and I knew it was quittin' time." 

Bucky doesn't miss a beat, "Probably should have drank less before you started that paper."

Darcy freezes and shoots Bucky a look. "I should be offended. I am an upstanding lady of education and class-"

"You didn't wash the stamp off," Bucky says with a forced smirk as he slides the cup across the counter with his right hand. He moves to the register, absolutely determined to punch in numbers that will result in the severing of their only clear romantic connection. "Your total will be-" and then he sees it.

It's out of the corner of his eyes and it's so quick there is a solid sixty-five percent chance that he imagined it, but Bucky is pretty sure he gets a peek at what it's like to watch a girl's heart break. And maybe it's hope, hope that he could have a chance to see his insides mirrored at him through someone else. But maybe not. Because Bucky is pretty sure Darcy's eyes prickle with tears and she takes in a sharp breath and her hands fasten to the countertop as he starts to speak. He`s pretty sure she turns her head and bites her cheek.

" _-nothing._ Your total will be nothing. I'm sorry. That - I just - yeah, so, um, alright then." And he lets out a shuddering breath. When he gets the courage to look at her face again she looks as if she's trying to catch her breath and, yeah, her eyes had definitely been prickling if the few tears that slip down her cheeks are any indication. Her hand is hovering over her mouth now. "Ah shit, Darc."

Steve drops his head forward on his shoulders and sighs. 

Darcy stares at the floor for a solid fifteen seconds before she shakes her head and looks up at Bucky. "Thanks comrade, your donation to the cause is much appreciated. And by the way, I was wrong before, you're a dick."

"Smooth, Buck."

Bucky's known Steve as long as he can remember and then some, back before his growth spurt when a well placed breeze could knock him over. He can't put him in a headlock now, but he can make his eggs runny. Steve hates runny eggs.

"No, fuck, I mean yes I am a dick but I'm a better dick than that." Words, Bucky knew words once. 

Darcy kind of huffs and looks away but she doesn't walk out so that feels like a good sign. "Right. Just tell me: have you not made up your mind yet or did you decide to go ahead gimme a go?"

He puts his hands over his eyes, pressing his palms in, and blurts out, "I have retrograde post-traumatic amnesia from an accident I had on the campus airfield my senior year of college. Well at least that's what it was at first. Now they think it's psychogenic and part of some severe post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident itself with losing my arm but the point is my _deal_ covers some heavy shit and I didn't want you to know that I'm crazy or that the entire reason I started giving you the free coffee is because when you walked in here, for the first time in six years I remembered something that happened between 2000 and 2008. I can't keep my cool when you're around; my hand malfunctions, I break things, but my god is it so much harder when you leave."

"Oh fuck." Steve sounds practically floored. He could be on the floor. Bucky wouldn't know, he can't bring himself to pull his hands down.

What feels like ages but is only about four seconds passes when Darcy bursts out, as if she is offended by how Bucky speaks about Bucky, "You aren't crazy. Yeah, that's some heavy shit right there. Stark-owned island size. But it's people shit and you're a person and I _like_ you."

Slowly Bucky lowers his hands. "Yeah?" And for the first time he lets himself sound hopeful.

Darcy rolls her eyes. "Why else would I go all rage when I thought you were fucking with me?" 

At her reminder Bucky feels something go through him, almost like a weight, and his expression hardens. "That was rough." His voice settles into the typical monotone that he affects when speaking with her.

"You're telling me." She's looking down at the floor again. 

Bucky doesn't allow himself any time for discouragement before he is using his enhanced (if temperamental) prosthetic to boost himself up and over the counter. Darcy scrambles backwards to make room but it's unnecessary. Bucky has good aim. Before she can put too much distance between them he wraps his human arm around her waist and pulls her in tight.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, lips grazing hers with each word before he pushes their mouths firmly together. 

When he pulls away Darcy's eyes are still closed. "Gimme a minute," she says. "I think my fantasy romance novel could turn into my favorite porno."

Steve snorts from behind the counter, "Okay, _that_ was smooth."

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if this is a work you'd like to see expanded on or if you have any constructive criticism.


End file.
